Chapter 2: Returning to the Prefecture

The only green-clad guard upstairs looked somewhat worried and asked, "Master, why hasn't Prime Minister Zhao gotten off the carriage yet?"

The man in dark clothing did not reply.

He slowly rolled up the portrait and placed it in a box, handing it to the green-clad guard.

"Keep it safe."

"Yes." The guard's heart skipped a beat as he hurriedly accepted it.

Scratching his head, he still voiced his thoughts, "Master, do you think a private daughter raised in the countryside can be accepted by the entire prime minister's mansion?"

Sensing the cold gaze of the master, he grinned ingratiatingly, "You said she came from the countryside to the capital, and you arranged for us to secretly protect her along the way. Otherwise, should we escort her all the way to the west, or send someone to help her? What if..."

"Yuan Ce."

"Here."

"If you care so much about the prime minister's family matters, why don't you go to the prime minister's side and serve as his right-hand man? How about that?"

"Master, spare me! I know my mistake!" The guard named Yuan Ce immediately deflated.

But he still couldn't let it go and tentatively said, "I'm also thinking about the overall situation. You see, the prime minister's wife is the granddaughter of the empress dowager. Once the father and daughter recognize each other, the empress dowager will definitely exert her influence. When the empress dowager exerts her influence..."

"Oh?" The man looked at Yuan Ce, his gaze heavy, causing Yuan Ce to swallow the rest of his words.

He quickly waved his hand and changed his tune, "No, no! Master, listen to me. What I mean is, you have put in a lot of effort to find the prime minister's lost daughter. In the future, the prime minister and his daughter will surely be grateful to you and pledge their loyalty!"

"That's not necessary."

The man smiled faintly and his clear voice slowly came, "I just want to see if this countryside girl, Zhao, has the ability to establish herself in the prime minister's mansion, and whether she has the ability to..."

At this point, his tone suddenly turned cold and stern, "...survive the empress dowager's scheming!"

****

One month later.

Entering early winter, a thin layer of white frost covered the stone steps.

The cold wind became even more biting, blowing into the sleeves, making everything feel chilly.

No, it wasn't the cold, it was hunger that had been forced upon her.

Zhao Ximei knelt on the ground, enduring the cold and hunger, listening to the commotion above her—

With a sharp, tearful voice, it was Zhao Ziyi's wife, Mrs. Xu:

"What do you mean!?! A child suddenly appears out of nowhere and claims to be under my name. Who do you think I am? Any cat or dog can call me mother?"

"And besides! You haven't seen that person surnamed Shen for so many years. How can you be sure this is your child? Who knows, she might have been with some wild man..."

"Snap!"

A porcelain teacup was thrown to the ground.

"Unreasonable!"

Zhao Ximei knelt nearby, and the splashing tea stained her skirt.

Mrs. Xu's tone suddenly turned into a cry, "Zhao Xuan! You have no conscience! Who is your legally wedded wife? Who is your legitimate daughter? You dream if you think I'll let her stay in the mansion!"

Zhao Ziyi's voice was steady and strong, "Wei Jie is of my Zhao bloodline. If she doesn't stay in the mansion, where do you want her to live?"

"Why are you so sure she is of the Zhao bloodline? How do you know she's not scheming to climb the social ladder?"

"You—" Zhao Ziyi was furious.

"Don't rush to defend her either."

The stern voice of Zhao's elderly lady rang out from above, "She's quite clever, stopping the prime minister's carriage on the way out of the palace. Now the impeachment documents from the Imperial Censorate are flying everywhere, saying she had ulterior motives. I don't believe it."

"Grandmother!" Zhao Ximei suddenly raised her head.

"What?" The voice of Zhao's elderly lady was harsh and cold, "Am I wrong? What else could it be if not ulterior motives?"

The room fell silent.

The maidservants serving on the side quietly retreated, afraid that the impending conflict would involve them.

Zhao Ximei's fingers clenched tightly into a fist inside her sleeve.

In terms of reason, her mother had the engagement with her father. Her mother had raised her alone for sixteen years, never had any contact with the Zhao mansion to avoid suspicion, and they had managed to get by in difficult times. When they had no other choice, she turned to her father, asking him to save her mother's life. What was wrong with that?

She wanted to tell this high and mighty woman loudly that she didn't care about noble families!

She could live well on her own, relying on her own hands!

During the days when she and her mother depended on each other, she endured hunger and cold. Once, for a mountain chicken, she was chased and bitten by hunting dogs. She fiercely clung to the dog, strangling its neck with her hands, and rolled in the mud with the dog. In the end, she spat out a mouthful of dog hair and brought back a chicken and a dog.

Her inherent stubbornness told her that if she left like this, wouldn't it be fulfilling their wishes?

But under someone else's roof, she had to bow her head.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her skirt and knelt in front of Zhao Ziyi, saying slowly, "At that time, my mother's life was in danger, and in desperation, I made such a rash move without considering my father's status and situation. I was wrong, and I hope my father can forgive me."

The elderly lady Zhao snorted, "You're quick to admit your mistake!"

Zhao Ziyi remained silent.

He remembered the scene of their first meeting, in pouring rain, she knelt in the rain, crying and stopping his carriage, "Please save Shen Yuqing."

Shen Yuqing was the only daughter of Shen Mu, the woman Zhao Ziyi loved the most when he was young.

When they parted, she disappeared without a trace, but he never expected that she had raised the child on her own...

Thinking of this, Zhao Ziyi felt a sharp pain in his heart.

Zhao Ximei's voice sounded in his ears again:

"If my mother had ulterior motives to use my father, she could have come to the mansion when she was pregnant with me. With my father's feelings for her, he would not have abandoned her. Even if Mrs. Xu couldn't accept it, she wouldn't have been able to argue with a pregnant woman."